Monday, 11 August 2014

Tie-less Miette

Don't get too excited, there isn't anything new or shiny to see. I've just fiddled about with my Miette skirt to make it more wearable. I did this with a couple of skirts last year and gave one of them (the grey floral one) a whole new lease of life - in fact I'm wearing it as I type this! Sadly the green one still didn't do much for me, so was brutally culled from my wardrobe.

This year I decided to tackle my Tilly and the Buttons Miette skirt. I made it over a year ago but have only worn it once or twice because I just couldn't get on with the big bow at the waistband. It's a lovely bow and all that, just too big, which means I can't ever wear anything untucked as it gets in the way. In fact before I set to work on my Miette skirt I wore it for a while to see if I'd change my mind about it. Within minutes I'd caught the bloody ties in the cutlery drawer which sealed the deal - the bow had to go!

Before: lovely but impractical bow

After: not as pretty but infinitely more wearable

Some clever stitchers dispensed with the bow and made their skirts tie-less right from the start (Lauren here and Fiona here) but having already made my Miette, I had to do it retrospectively. Despite my whingeing, it was a pretty simple refashion. I cut the ties to the shorter length I wanted, turned the ends in on themselves and slip stitched them closed. I then made two buttonholes in the ties and sewed two buttons onto the waistband. Easy peasy. I now have a simple tab feature on the waistband which I much prefer to the bow.

I also decided to wear the skirt a bit lower than when I first made it. Looking back at the photos in the original post (in which I look deranged) I'm wearing it too high to be comfortable, plus I don't think it's particularly flattering. Having it sit lower on my hips makes it much easier to wear and it gives the illusion of lengthening the skirt too, which it was in need of.

Before: worn high at the waist

After: worn lower down

My only regret is that I didn't get my finger out and do this earlier in the summer - but that's my own fault for being a lazy arse! I'd better get some wear out of it whilst the sun's still shining. Anybody else given their handmade garments a new lease of life recently? x

24 comments:

Nice work! Reworking a finished garment can seem like a pain but it's worth it if you get something you'll wear more at the end. I just painstakingly unpicked a lined (and understitched) bodice because the shoulder and sleeve weren't fitting right - whipped off the sleeves and tightened up the shoulder seams and now I love it!

Great refashion, the buttons look so cute :) In the beginning of summer I made a pledge to rescue some of my me-mades that I didn't wear for some reason. I'm happy to say that I already have a couple of new favorites :) It's kind of depressing to go back and change something you've already made, but it's sooo worth the effort! If you want to read more about my sad me-mades and their new lives, you can find them on my blog :)

That looks much more wearable as pretty as the bow was getting it trapped in draws is the least of the trouble something like that would cause me. I have a handmade dress thats fit is all wrong that I have to adjust, it's the first post on my new blog, I think I am going to cut the bodice off and and make it into a skirt but not sure how yet.

Ahha, what a great idea! I don't wear my Miette as much as I might because of the tie so had decided I'd use button tabs instead if I made another one, but hadn't thought about adapting my already made one, makes total sense! Thanks for the info on how you did this.

1. Went back in twice (twice!!) to make a straight-shoulder adjustment to a slip-on top. First fix took care of the Mouth of Hell openings at each side of my neck. Second fix necessary to smooth out the weird mid-shoulder bubble that resulted from the first fix. I WILL make the blouse again, but noted on envelope to take out at least 1/2" near the neck. 2. Took a set of ties off the back of a blouse, as I am too old for a twee bow on my back, just above my giant middle-aged bum. I will wear the blouse more often now.

I might need to borrow this idea to adjust some ties on an Afternoon blouse. I can't reach round my back to tie them tidily, so they are a bit of a nuisance. I have plenty of buttons to complete the effect. I just need to make sure that I can still get it over my head when I make the adjustment though!!

I have just made a pair of Katy and Laney Tap Shorts from a maxi dress. Also, two dresses have since become skirts. I have worn them a lot more since! It is great to give me-mades a new lease of life, especially if the fabric is still good. Blog post coming soon...

Great solution! As pretty as the original was I do love the tabs. It's nice when you can make something more wearable. I fixed a bodice on a dress that was bugging me recently, bringing up the shoulders to reduce armhole gape and I was very pleased that I did. :)

Great refashion! I really disliked the bow on my Miette at first, and ended up tying it behind the skirt in a knot. I've got used to it now and don't even think about it. Sadly the skirt is in need of some repairs right now - it gets a lot of wear.